The search for a new home on Oahu

Published: 2013.01.10 10:20 AM

We haven’t forgotten about Sarah and Fernando Pacheco, who have been shopping for their first home to own. December, and winter in general, is a slow month for real estate, and with Hawaii’s low inventory, they have been faced with slim pickings.

They kicked off 2013 with some new listings—out toward West Oahu.

“We decided to venture out of Honolulu as we were really striking out in town,” Sarah explains. “There really is nothing in town that fits our needs and is within our price point. I knew we would like the newer, roomier homes further west, but we held out for a while with hopes of holding on to our ‘townie’ cards.”

Two of the listings were in Mililani: One is a two-bedroom, one-bath townhouse (upstairs unit). They liked that it had hardwood floors, since they have allergies. However, it’s a short sale, which means there’s no deadline to sell. If the Pachecos bid on it, the transaction could take two months to a year, and sometimes short sales don’t go through at all.

The other Mililani townhouse sounded promising, but their realtor said there was a reported suicide there. “The sellers were required to disclose that info,” Fernando says. “It wasn't on the listing but I'm glad our realtor went and found that out.”

The Pachecos immediately fell in love with a two-bedroom, one-bathroom townhouse in Waikele, a ground floor unit with its parking stall directly in front.

(Property overview. Not the actual unit.)

“It's a lender sale, so our realtor warned us that sometimes they can be in bad shape, but that was hardly the case,” Fernando recalls. “And it had the same private yard space as the Piikoi place we previously bid on. It’s also straight off the freeway and walking distance to the elementary school.”

Needless to say, they put in an offer for the Waikele townhouse and are waiting to hear if it’s been accepted.

“If we do end up leaving town, I'll sure miss the convenience and walkability to everything!” Sarah muses.

If you have any leads or tips for the Pachecos, leave your comments here!

About Our Writers

Honolulu Real Estate focuses on the Hawai‘i housing market, condos and homes for sale, Hawai‘i rentals and general news about real estate in Hawai‘i. It also includes stories on apartment living, home decor and profiles.

Melissa Chang graduated from the University of Hawai‘i with a degree in journalism. She has been blogging about food and travel since 2007. She works primarily in social media, so you can find her online @Melissa808 on Twitter and Instagram.

Jaymes Song is a real estate agent at Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate in Kāhala. Jaymes is in the top 1.5 percent of Better Homes agents nationwide. He was voted “Best in Real Estate” in 2015 and 2014 by HONOLULU Magazine readers. Previously, Jaymes was at The Orange County Register, Honolulu Star-Bulletin and rose through the ranks to overseeing news and operations for AP in Hawai‘i and the Pacific Rim. Jaymes lives in the Portlock area and loves his real full-time job as a dad to two curious kids.